13 Navy Blue Kitchens, and Not a Nautical One in Sight

UpdatedJan 12, 2023 2:45 PM EST

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OK but how can you not be obsessed with navy blue when the deep shade literally calls to mind calm ocean waters, freshly picked berries, and the night sky? I know it often gets a nautical rap, but when you pair it with eye-catching metals and modern appliances instead of anchors and oars, this cool color can totally wake up a boring space. (According to a color psychologist, it can even help you focus—sign me up!) Plus there's so much room to personalize the hue, since it plays well with everything from classic subway tile to butcher block. Here are 13 ideas for making navy blue kitchen cabinets your own.

It honestly doesn't get much more classic than navy and white, but the iteration in this Minneapolis home keeps things contemporary with sleek uppers, marble counters, and an island with a waterfall edge. So clean, so good.

Designer Charlie Ferrer isn't really into working with wall color. Instead, he prefers to keep his backdrops white and go bold in other ways—like pairing the Marea Baja cabinets in this Hamptons project with a marigold island. The color combo is honestly everything.

Not only does the inky hue make a major statement from the cupboards to the floor-to-ceiling pantry in Janea Brown's Hollywood home, it wraps right into a cozy breakfast nook to extend the sight line even further. Brown topped off the booth with striped seats and checkered cushions to visually carve out its own little zone. I'm here for it.

This mid-century home in Chicago proves you don't have to go all in on navy blue kitchen cabinets to get the impact. In the middle of a teak kitchen, an island backed in blue adds just the right subtle punch. Baby steps, people!

To infuse this bright coastal kitchen with charm, Studio McGee swathed just the island cabinets in Blue Note by Benjamin Moore. Now the gathering spot feels all the more important thanks to that distinguished color. Simple but SO effective.

Australian designer Sibella Court's daring move to pair moody teal cabinets with a jet-black Smeg fridge and range? Totally paid off. Court describes the palette as "subtle but stormy," and she amped up the drama with an eclectic mix of materials like zinc, rope, and cane. I'm honestly obsessed.

Hunting for the perfect navy paint to transform your kitchen? Look no further:The 15 Best Blue Paint Colors for Kitchen Cabinets

Gentleman's Gray by Benjamin Moore—the shade Black Lacquer Design founder Caitlin Murray used for these cupboards—is basically the paint-swatch equivalent of a distinguished Englishman in a dapper top hat. To make the traditional navy blue kitchen cabinets feel more modern, Murray paired them with a dramatic slab of marble with thick white veins. Chef's kiss.

Here's the trick—a smart paint choice is all it takes to make high ceilings feel even higher. In this case, Emily Henderson used navy lowers to ground the small space and coated the uppers and ceiling beams in white for that coveted airy feel. Such a game-changer.

Continuing the hardwood floors from the adjacent room into the kitchen would've been the easy choice for Susan and Ben Work. Instead, the designers switched things up with funky cement tile. The little slivers of color pick up on both the Hague Blue cabinets and the greenish veins in the marble backsplash. Trust me, it's the details that count.

If you're not feeling the drama that black counters bring to navy cupboards, add warmth with butcher block instead. Jessica and Tyler Mares of Renovate 108 bought the slab for their bar nook for less than $200 at IKEA. Such a steal!

Athena Calderone of EyeSwoon chose a bluish black hue from Farrow & Ball for her New York City townhouse kitchen and paired it with honed marble for an ultra-matte finish. The result is just *chef's kiss*.

The only things louder than Gillian Schwartz's peacock-hued cabinets? The oversize knobs (which are actually coat hooks) on the doors. The move was inspired by furniture designer Faye Toogood's home. Talk about a statement.

Pro tip: You don't even have to do anything special with the cabinets themselves to make navy feel interesting. Sarah Wittenbraker layered square panels on the side of her island and now the structure basically doubles as sculpture. So clever.

This story was originally published in 2018. It has since been updated.

Lydia Geisel has been on the editorial team at Domino since 2017. Today, she writes and edits home and renovation stories, including house tours, before and afters, and DIYs, and leads our design news coverage. She lives in New York City.

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